“Ryan, there’s water on the floor!”
It was around 1am. I shot up in bed, still partially asleep. Our bedrooms are all in the basement so I hopped out of bed into 6″ of cold, yet “fibrous” water. As I sloshed to the bathroom where our sump pump pit is, I was astonished to see a two foot geyser of “water” spewing from our toilet. Our sinks and bathtub had been repurposed into sledgy waterfalls, filled to the brim and pouring over. Apparently the cold and wet hadn’t awakened my senses enough to fully realize what was happening. The smell did the trick. I was frozen. What does one do when gallons of sewage are pouring into their basement? How could this have happened? I’m a planner, but never imagined this scenario.
We are on the backside (pun intended…more where that came from) of this traumatic family-bonding experience, and I’m learning a lot about how governments operate in emergency situations and how much fun insurance companies, cleaning companies and contractors are to deal with. There is a phrase that has come up in conversations with all of the above entities that is beginning to stand out above the rest. It’s the phrase, “Act of God.” It’s used by governments and insurance companies in what appears to be an attempt to pass the buck. If God (yes, the same one they’ve taught our kids doesn’t exist) causes a major weather event, then they can’t be held responsible for the damages. In the federal government’s case, it’s a way to get FEMA involved and hopefully provide some financial assistance to those whose lives, and possibly livelihoods, have been completely upended. In all cases, the phrase is mysteriously only used to describe a major catastrophe. Oh, the irony…
As I stood frozen in over a foot of poo, I remember not being able to think….at all! I want to be the heroic general in these emergency situations, guiding each platoon strategically and confidently until the battle is won. I’m not. We got the kids to dry land, saved as much of our stuff as we could, and I still felt frozen. I tried plugging the toilet, but it came out harder from the tub. My wife, who actually is a great and heroic leader, called for help, but our normal cast of family and friends who are great in dealing with emergencies were all out of town or not answering. We called a church friend, whom we’ve known for less than a year, but happens to be a “do it all” kind of guy, and he actually answered us in the middle of the night! His quick thinking and ingenuity, additional sump pump and hoses, and hours of sloshing through sewage by our side helped us to get the water flow under control before we lost everything in our basement. He was a neighbor/church acquaintance, who was willing to wade through our entire town’s crap, for hours…for us. I’d call that an Act of God. Our local Dairy Queen delivering free meals that night to anyone affected by the flooding. Another neighbor, with whom we are polar opposites in how we raise our kids, our religious beliefs, our political affiliations, who had water in their own basement, brought us a homemade meal. A different neighbor came to help us unload our feces-covered furniture after he finished ripping out his own wet carpet and drywall that had water damage. We didn’t advertise our plight or start a GoFundMe page, but we’ve had amazingly generous people give us money, no questions asked. We’ve had family and friends do loads and loads of our foul laundry. We’ve had numerous offers of a place to stay while we are displaced. We’ve had family help by taking care of 3 younger kids (for 2 weeks!) while we work on putting the pieces back together. We’ve seen our 3 teenagers frustrated and angry (this is our second “Act of God” bonding experience as a family in the last 5 years) that so much of their work on our house-build will have to be redone, but choose to be thankful for our home and the things they were able to save…and realize that, possibly, we didn’t need all the stuff we had. These are “Acts of God.”
I was discussing our situation with a family member who shared some wisdom that I’ll never forget. Her brother had been through multiple seasons of suffering over the course of years, and she asked him how he dealt with it. He thoughtfully and poetically responded, “I feel sorry for people who never get the privilege of suffering enough that they HAVE TO lean on God.” Our family has suffered…more than some, less than others. Life has not been easy. Admittedly, I have not looked upon suffering as a gift. I haven’t wanted to. Suffering stinks (told you there was more). I don’t ask God for more suffering, more disruption, more discomfort when I pray. Why not?
Maybe the real Acts of God come in the middle of suffering, when our best laid plans are in ruins and we awaken to the truth that life is best when we lean on our Creator and Provider more than on our own understanding.
